Thread by @FancyScientist

The most frustrating part of #TigerKingNetflix was that the directors brought up real conservation and animal welfare issues, but had no unbiased experts to debunk misinformation. This is a thread of experts' posts on #TigerKing about these issues. Please add ones I miss.

First, Dr. @TaraPirie explains in @ConversationUK why releasing captive big cats into the wild won't work. Essentially, animals born outside of accredited zoos (@zoos_aquariums in the US) do nothing for #conservation.

theconversation.com/tiger-king-why…

Next this piece in @PBSNature by @sguynup + @swfoto, journalists who spent years documenting the captive tiger tourism industry in the US by "investigating hands-on tiger attractions that heavily breed, use, and then dump tiger cubs for profit."
pbs.org/wnet/nature/bl…

This @LiveScience article featuring an interview with the coordinator of the @TheWCS's Tiger Program. WCS is a leader in tiger conservation. They've been doing on the ground research on tigers in their native range for decades.

livescience.com/tiger-king-big…

@NatGeoChannel has been doing an amazing job investigating animals in captivity for the past few years. This is journalist @Rachael_Bale's response to #TigerKingNetflix. She investigates wildlife crimes.

nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/0…

@sguynup also wrote this piece in @NatGeo before Tiger King about the problem of too many captive tigers in the US outside of zoos accredited by the @zoos_aquariums.

nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/1…

There is so much to debunk in #TigerKing that I had to start out writing about the differences in ethical and unethical zoos in the first place to give readers a solid understanding of the conservation and education that @zoos_aquariums provide.

stephanieschuttler.com/ethical-zoos-h…

People are also confused about the difference between zoos and sanctuaries. Again, there are unethical sanctuaries and ethical ones. Here's how you can evaluate them for yourself.

stephanieschuttler.com/what-is-a-wild…

#TigerKingNetflix made @BigCatRescue out to be the same as the GW Zoo and Myrtle Beach Safari, but there are A LOT of differences, the biggest of which is cub petting and therefore constant cub breeding.

stephanieschuttler.com/is-big-cat-res…

Next I am writing a detailed piece on how the big cats used in cub petting do next to nothing for the conservation of wild big cats and give you real, concrete ways on how you can actually help tiger conservation. Stay tuned!

What posts did I miss? Add them here👇

Doe cub petting aid in the #conservation of wild animals? Written by someone (me) who works in conservation. This is a big one!

#TigerKing #TigerKingNetflix #JoeExotic

stephanieschuttler.com/is-cub-petting…